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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 9 Hansard (7 September) . . Page.. 3026 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

ACT government's view that isolating China will not contribute to improving the country's human rights situation and that a non-confrontationist approach in conjunction with well directed technical assistance is most likely to achieve lasting results.

Opportunities exist for the ACT to assist the federal government in the delivery of technical assistance programs. In fact, in 1997 officials of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended a conference on international human rights law at the Australian National University.

Opportunities for direct ACT assistance to Beijing exist in the area of oral health care. ACT Community Care's dental health program has some surplus and outdated equipment. While this equipment is no longer suitable for use here, it is in good condition and perfectly serviceable and would be of great value to Beijing's community dental services, particularly in the more deprived areas of the city.

There is much greater potential for technology transfers in relation to the fluoridation of public water supplies. Although sometimes controversial, water fluoridation is surely one of the most successful and cost-effective public health measures ever implemented. It has been instrumental in reducing dental disease, especially among children in Europe, North America and Australia.

ACTEW possesses the relevant expertise and recently a Beijing delegation to Canberra expressed interest in how the ACT added fluoride to its supply of drinking water. The operation is relatively low-tech and ideal for a country like China where one of the greatest resources is manpower. With some technical help from ACTEW, it would be comparatively simple and inexpensive for Beijing to fluoridate its water supplies and reap the benefits in terms of improved oral health.

Mr Deputy Speaker, it has been said on a number of occasions that there is no community support for this sister city approach and that somehow the government has not appropriately consulted. It is interesting that, in response to Ms Tucker's proposed motion against Canberra entering into a sister city relationship with Beijing or any other city in China due to China's human rights record, the ACT government has received letters in support of a sister city relationship from the ACT Multicultural Council, the ACT Chinese Australian Association, the Australia Canberra Beijing Association, the Federation of Chinese Community Canberra and the Dickson Business Group. I present the following papers:

Mr Deputy Speaker, I have also received, as I am sure have many other members, letters from a wide range of people in the community supporting this approach. I would like to quote some of the letters. The Federation of Chinese Community Canberra wrote:

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